Local Grocery Garlic

I was shopping for Marie's Boef Bourgignon in our small town grocer- trust that it's not the easiest place to shop for meals (although it is getting better because the town has been growing over the last decade with city folk).

I, of course, found myself looking at their garlic options. The organic Earthbound Farm garlic was about 15 dollars a pound. The Christopher Ranch boxed garlic was similarly priced, but not organic. The "regular" garlic, probably a Chinese grown artichoke variety, was 4.29 a pound and greening up.

The real zinger was the Christopher Ranch peeled and packaged garlic. The cultivar 'Monviso' has been what they are touting as the best tasting garlic- ever. This product is CR's answer to cheap imports. Wish I could remember the price, something in the 6 dollar range I think. It's biggest problem- the expiration date, or 'best before' date, right on front. That's a good amount of peeled cloves to use before January 9. The problem of course is that peeling garlic ruins it's shelf life and flavor. Convenience rarely improves your meal.